About Maxton Pitcher
Specialty: consultant gastroenterologist and physician with particular expertise in oesophageal and bowel conditions, endoscopy and colonoscopy
Conditions seen: acid reflux and gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD), functional dyspepsia, peptic ulcer, Barrett's oesophagus, eosinophilic oesophagitis, achalasia of the cardia, cancer of the oesophagus, coeliac disease, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), chronic constipation, colonic polyps, bowel cancer
Tests, treatments and procedures: gastroscopy, colonoscopy and polypectomy, flexible sigmoidoscopy, oesophageal dilatation, bowel cancer screening and prevention, gut microbiome testing, point-of-care stool testing
Often consulted by patients with: abdominal or stomach pain, indigestion, rectal bleeding, acid reflux, constipation, diarrhoea or a change in bowel habit
Patient ages seen: 18+
Also: consultant physician and gastroenterologist at Northwick Park and St Mark's Hospitals; elected Chairman of Medicine at St Mark's in 2007; chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee at The Clementine Churchill Hospital 2010-2015; co-editor of the textbook Clinical Guide to Gastroenterology; accomplished classical violinist and orchestra concertmaster with the European Doctors Orchestra
Language: English
Dr Maxton Pitcher is a consultant gastroenterologist at Welbeck's Digestive Health centre in London, specialising in conditions affecting the oesophagus, stomach and bowel. His oesophageal practice includes acid reflux and gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD), Barrett's oesophagus,, swallowing disorders such as eosinophilic oesophagitis and achalasia, and oesophageal cancer. He also treats coeliac disease, functional dyspepsia and peptic ulcers, alongside bowel conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), chronic constipation, colonic polyps and bowel cancer.
Dr Pitcher offers diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy, including gastroscopy, flexible sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy, with the option to remove bowel polyps during the procedure. He also performs oesophageal dilatation to widen narrowed areas of the oesophagus and improve swallowing. His wider practice includes bowel cancer screening, point-of-care stool testing and gut microbiome testing, which examines the microorganisms living in the digestive tract.
Alongside his private practice, Dr Pitcher is a consultant physician and gastroenterologist at Northwick Park and St Mark's Hospitals, where he has worked as a consultant since 1998. St Mark's is a specialist centre for intestinal and colorectal medicine, and Dr Pitcher was elected Chairman of Medicine by his colleagues in 2007. He also served as Chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee The Clementine Churchill Hospital for five years from 2010.
Dr Pitcher studied medical sciences at the University of Cambridge before qualifying in medicine at the University of Oxford in 1988. His subsequent clinical training included appointments at Guy's Hospital, the John Radcliffe Hospital and Addenbrooke's Hospital. In 1993, he received a research award from the National Association for Colitis and Crohn's Disease to investigate the role of gut bacteria and sulphur metabolism in ulcerative colitis at the Medical Research Council's Dunn Clinical Nutrition Centre in Cambridge. He was awarded an MD by the University of Cambridge in 1996, with his thesis receiving a commendation. His longstanding interest in the gut microbiome continues to inform his clinical practice, and he has also co-edited the textbook Clinical Guide to Gastroenterology.
Outside medicine, Dr Pitcher is an accomplished classical violinist and concertmaster of the European Doctors Orchestra. He performs with chamber ensembles and orchestras across London and the South East, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, his videos of live musical performances for patients reached hundreds of thousands of viewers worldwide.
Expertise
- Abdominal Pain
- Indigestion
- Rectal Bleeding
- Acid Reflux
- Constipation and Diarrhoea
- Bowel Cancer
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- Coeliac Disease
- Achalasia of the Cardia
- Cancer of Oesophagus
- Gastro-Oesophageal Reflux Disease
- Peptic Ulcer
- Functional Dyspepsia
- Eosinophilic Oesophagitis
- Barrett's Oesophagus
- Colonic Polyps
- Oesophageal Dilatation
- Colonoscopy and Polypectomy
- Bowel Cancer Screening
- Swallowing Disorders
Overview
- Age of patients seen
- 18+
- Qualifications
Dr Pitcher trained in Medical Sciences at the University of Cambridge, where he was awarded his degree in 1985, and continued his postgraduate medical studies at the John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, qualifying as a doctor in 1988. He trained at Guy's Hospital in London, the Radcliffe Hospitals in Oxford and Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, where he was medical registrar. In 1993 a National Association for Colitis and Crohn's Disease research award took him to the Medical Research Council Dunn Clinical Nutrition Centre in Cambridge, and he completed his Doctorate of Medicine at the University of Cambridge in 1996. He was senior registrar in gastroenterology at the John Radcliffe Hospital until 1998, when he was appointed consultant gastroenterologist and physician at St Mark's and Northwick Park Hospitals in Harrow.
Qualifications:
MA, University of Cambridge (1985)
BMBCh
MD, University of Cambridge (1996)
- Languages spoken
- English
- Online profiles
- Research highlights
Dr Pitcher's research has focused on the role of gut bacteria in digestive health, particularly their involvement in inflammatory bowel disease. His doctoral research at the University of Cambridge investigated sulphate-reducing bacteria and sulphur metabolism in ulcerative colitis, earning him an MD in 1996, with his thesis receiving a commendation. His wider published work includes studies into Helicobacter pylori, coeliac disease, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and differences in inflammatory bowel disease between population groups. Dr Pitcher also co-edited the textbook Clinical Guide to Gastroenterology (Wiley Blackwell, 2019).
Key publications:
Isolation of Helicobacter pylori from feces of patients with dyspepsia in the United Kingdom. Gastroenterology. 1994;107(6):1671–1674. DOI: 10.1016/0016-5085(94)90806-0
Hydrogen sulphide: a bacterial toxin in ulcerative colitis? Gut. 1996;39(1):1–4. DOI: 10.1136/gut.39.1.1
IgA anti-tissue transglutaminase as a diagnostic marker of gluten sensitive enteropathy. J Clin Pathol. 1999;52(4):274–277. DOI: 10.1136/jcp.52.4.274
The contribution of sulphate reducing bacteria and 5-aminosalicylic acid to faecal sulphide in patients with ulcerative colitis. Gut. 2000;46(1):64–72. DOI: 10.1136/gut.46.1.64
Natalizumab for active Crohn's disease. N Engl J Med. 2003;348(1):24–32. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa020732
Uveitis in a patient receiving rifabutin for Crohn's disease. J R Soc Med. 2004;97(9):440–441. DOI: 10.1177/014107680409700912
Acupuncture for irritable bowel syndrome: a blinded placebo-controlled trial. World J Gastroenterol. 2005;11(26):4040–4044. DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v11.i26.4040
Cytomegalovirus ileitis associated with goblet cell carcinoid tumour of the appendix. J Infect. 2007;54(3)–e156. DOI: 10.1016/j.jinf.2006.09.010
Amitriptyline modifies the visceral hypersensitivity response to acute stress in the irritable bowel syndrome. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2009;29(5):552–560. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2036.2008.03918.x
Differences in inflammatory bowel disease phenotype between South Asians and Northern Europeans living in North West London, UK. Am J Gastroenterol. 2011;106(7):1281–1289. DOI: 10.1038/ajg.2011.85
Improving the management of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in cirrhotic patients: assessment of an intervention in trainee doctors. Clin Med (Lond). 2015;15(5):426–430. DOI: 10.7861/clinmedicine.15-5-426
Pretreatment prediction of response to ursodeoxycholic acid in primary biliary cholangitis: development and validation of the UDCA Response Score. Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2018. DOI: 10.1016/S2468-1253(18)30163-8
Clinical Guide to Gastroenterology. Co-editor. Wiley-Blackwell; 2019. DOI: 10.1002/9781394321889
- Professional memberships
British Society of Gastroenterology
Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians
- Certifications and Awards
John Pearce Memorial Prize in Surgery, University of Oxford (1988)
National Association for Colitis & Crohn's Disease research award (1993)
British Digestive Foundation Travelling Fellowship (1996)
Ralph Noble MD Dissertation Prize, University of Cambridge (1996)
Digestive Diseases Foundation Research Award (2000)
Consultations and services
Appointments are available at 1 Welbeck Street, London W1G 0AR.
Enquire online or call 020 3653 2009.
- Self-pay available from £275
- Health insurance
- 30 mins consultation
- Self-pay available from £210
- Health insurance
- 15 mins consultation
Insurers covered
Tests & treatments
Conditions & symptoms
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Frequently asked questions
Yes. Dr Pitcher personally performs gastroscopy, colonoscopy and flexible sigmoidoscopy, as well as providing bowel cancer screening. If polyps are found during a colonoscopy, he can usually remove them during the same procedure using a technique called polypectomy, avoiding the need for a separate appointment.
Gut microbiome testing analyses the bacteria and other microorganisms living in your digestive tract. Dr Pitcher has a longstanding research interest in the role of gut bacteria in digestive health, particularly their involvement in inflammatory bowel disease. He may use the results of gut microbiome testing to provide additional insights into your digestive health and help inform personalised dietary, lifestyle or treatment recommendations.
Yes. Dr Pitcher specialises in conditions affecting the oesophagus, including acid reflux and gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD), Barrett's oesophagus, swallowing disorders, and oesophageal cancer. He can perform gastroscopy to examine the oesophagus and investigate symptoms such as persistent heartburn or difficulty swallowing. Where narrowing of the oesophagus is causing swallowing problems, he also offers oesophageal dilatation.
Oesophageal dilatation is a procedure used to widen a narrowed section of the oesophagus (food pipe), making it easier for food and liquids to pass into the stomach. It's usually performed during an endoscopy, using a balloon or another specialised instrument to gently stretch the narrowed area. Dr Pitcher can assess whether this treatment is appropriate for you based on the cause and severity of your swallowing difficulties and can perform the procedure at Welbeck.